


I'm Right Here

by orphan_account



Category: My Engineer (TV)
Genre: Angst, Friendship/Love, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Medical Conditions, Mortality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:21:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24240493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Mek and Boss have finally gotten together, they're happier than ever, and everything is wonderful, until Boss wakes up one morning with a sharp pain in his stomach.
Relationships: Mek & Boss & Bohn & King & Tee, Mek/Boss
Comments: 14
Kudos: 83





	I'm Right Here

**Author's Note:**

> Very badly edited, sorry. I'm lazy. Ha.

Before Boss is even aware of himself, where he is, or even what is, he feels it, the pain so sharp and deep it makes him keel over. He finds himself clutching at bedsheets as his face pales and his hair sticks from sweat to the back of his neck and forehead. He’s overdue for a haircut, but none of that matters right now. The pain in his stomach is so intense and so harsh he feels himself biting into his lip hard enough to draw blood. He lets out a groan that’s barely restrained.

“Boss?” A sleepy and tired, always adorable Mek asks from somewhere behind him, but he can’t focus on that or on his favourite sight. The sight of Mek just waking up, confused, with hair sticking up, and grin sleepy. Instead he clutches harder as the pain gets worse and worse, and worse. “Boss!”

Hands on his arm and back, voice struggling to maintain control and emotion. Mek may be stoic and able to shield most of his emotions, but when it comes to those he cares about, to those few moments that make him lose himself, he’s a mess. He’s clutching Boss tightly, his panic too great to focus on anything, his heart hurting at seeing Boss like this, and the utter helplessness. That’s the worst.

“Boss, what’s wrong? Baby?”

As sudden as it comes, it’s gone. Boss feels his tense body relax into exhaustion as he leans into Mek’s warmth of his embrace. He leans his head into Mek’s chest and feels his head become light. His eyes drifting closed, but they don’t close all the way, Mek is shaking him awake and alive. Words urgent as he asks, “What’s wrong? What happened!?”

Without thinking Boss answers honestly, “I don’t know.”

-

They get to the hospital in record timing, Mek driving far too fast, and Boss leaning against the car door in clear exhaustion. He just wants to sleep, but Mek shakes him awake every few minutes. In the back of Boss’s mind he knows it’s something to do with their first aid training course they took together, Boss dragging Mek along because he wanted to be a lifeguard. It was a foolish notion, he ended up not measuring up, and he was sad for a long time, but Mek was there. Cheering him up. Buying him ice cream, watching his favourite movies, and letting Boss fall asleep on his shoulder every night.

“Stay with me, Boss- baby.” Mek says the endearment like a gentle caress of skin against skin. Boss can’t help but feel his heart flutter at the name, it makes him happier than he’s ever been. It reminds him of where they are now. Feelings reciprocated, a move in date for them to live together permanently, and Mek’s embrace always there. His sturdy arms and sturdy heart open for Boss, and Boss in return does the same. His is more soft, and his words are sometimes more unusual but they fit together in a way that Boss is sure no one else has before.

He doesn’t believe in soulmates, not in the way most people think but if he did, he’d believe that’s what they are.

“We’re here.” Mek says hurriedly. He undoes his seatbelt, hand moving softly through Boss’s hair to make sure he’s still awake. Boss’s sleepy eyes find Mek’s, and he tries to smile for his sake because Mek is frowning and Boss hates it when he frowns, whenever he’s sad. He really does. Mek tries to smile, too, but who are they fooling, hey? They both know this isn’t normal. They both have that sinking feeling in their guts. They can read it on each other like they can read everything else. There’s no more secrets between them, not anymore.

-

“From your description of the pain, I’m ordering a series of tests to be started now. The nurse will come in and draw some blood, and then we’re going to take you down to get a clear picture of what’s going on inside.” The doctor explains, voice and eyes grave. He’s trying to school his expressions, but Mek and Boss both can feel the urgency in every word, and every gesture. After all, it took only minutes to get admitted, and now tests? Boss remembers when he broke his wrist falling out of a tree a year ago, Mek was restless as they had to sit waiting for hours to get it look at, but now they wait only minutes?

Boss can’t help but reach out and take Mek’s hand in his, the fear gripping him tight, and the urge to cry comes out of nowhere. When his reddening eyes turn to Mek’s he realizes he’s not alone in these feelings. In the fear.

“Can Mek come with me?” Boss asks, eyes turning to the doctor’s as Mek interlocks their fingers together tightly.

“I’m afraid it’s only family.”

“He is family.” Boss insists, words strong at first, but then turn shaking as the panic takes hold. He wasn’t feeling it before, but now here in a hospital bed it grips him like a vice.

The doctor looks to their joined hands and considers.

“If he’s not coming I’m not doing the tests.” Boss says sternly and with a voice that’s higher pitched than before, the fear lacing through each syllable.

“Baby-” Mek tries, but Boss’s eyes turn angry and firm onto his. Boss has always been persistent and stubborn. Mek’s ready to argue though, the health and safety of Boss coming before anything else, but luckily the doctor makes the decision for both of them.

“He go with you, of course he can. The nurse will be in soon.”

-

“I almost forgot.” Boss says with a nostalgic sort of smile on his features as he looks down at Mek’s phone. He forgot his own, so he was using Mek’s to play some games, to distract himself, but then he sees the text from Tee.

“What is it?” Mek asks as he leans over Boss’s hospital bed, a magazine in hand. He sees the text too and frowns.

“The trip, I almost forgot. I was so excited we were going to play games, and have that fire with the marshmallows.” Boss laughs and grins at the idea of it all, of the picture in his head of the time they were supposed to have. But the grin is tainted, he’s tainted. He feels it fall and his hands putting the phone down before he can even think.

“We’ll go on another one, when you’re better.” Mek says firmly, his hand holding Boss’s squeezing softly.

Better? It’s the first time either of them have acknowledged that he’s sick, or something close to it. It leaves Boss paralyzed. He lets go of Mek’s hand and rolls over on the bed, suddenly very, very tired. He curls up and makes himself so small Mek’s afraid he’ll disappear into the white sheets and blankets of the bed. His heart clutching in desperate agony as he himself lets the thoughts he doesn’t want to have settle within his mind.

“I should text them that we’re not going.” Mek says into Boss’s back.

Boss hums noncommutative.

-

“I’m afraid it’s very serious.” The doctor starts of by saying. He’s standing almost awkwardly in the door, and Boss kind of wants him to punch him. It’s been a whole day, the night sky is already here, and he has no answers, not until now. Why can’t he just say it? Boss needs to know, but he doesn’t want to know.

“Tell me, what is it? What is it?” Boss insists without any patience.

Mek’s hand is back on his, their fingers interlocked together, a warm comfort, and steadying embrace. It calms Boss. Makes him take a deep breath and remember to breathe.

“Have you contacted your parents yet?”

Boss looks down sad and ashamed. He called his mom but he told her it was nothing, couldn’t bear to explain how serious it might be. Could be. They weren’t sure. He wasn’t sure- Until now. Until he’s staring into the face of the doctor who’s nervous.

“What’s wrong with me?” Boss asks point blank, legs itching to move. To get out of bed, get dressed, and go back home with Mek. Back to where there aren’t hospitals, needles, and the uncertainty. The stressful and tense atmosphere pulling so tight he’s afraid he might be pulled apart.

“I would strongly urge you to call your parents, to have them here, and-”

“I’m twenty one in a month.” Boss insists. “And I’m not alone. Tell me, right now. What is it? What is it?”

“Shh, babe.” Mek soothes as he gets up from his chair and sits on the bed, close enough to Boss that he can feel his skin warm against his own. His face rests lightly against Boss’s shoulder before he pulls away to look at the doctor. He nods to him, urging him in his own silent way to continue, even though his heart is already breaking, too.

“It’s cancer, I’m sorry.” The doctor breaks the new gently, but this kind of news can never be broken gently. No. Never. “It’s in stage three, which is a far better outcome than most. Usually it’s only detected at stage four. Stage three gives you a better chance, with immediate surgery and chemotherapy, you have a fairly good chance.”

“What does that mean?” Boss asks urgently. “How fair? 90%? 80%?”

Mek’s arm wraps around Boss, bringing him close as the truth settles in him like an unwelcome storm. There’s no way out. There’s no roof or shelter, nothing good or permanent. They have to let the rain come. Hear the thunder. Risk the lightening. They have to endure. And Mek has to be strong now. Stronger than ever. For Boss. For his life.

The doctor clears his throat, and tries to speak clearly but gently. “Pancreatic cancer is- There’s no… We can do the surgery and with chemotherapy we can give you more time, but that’s all we can do I’m afraid. Is give you more time.”

“How much more time?” Boss still hasn’t accepted, can’t. No. No. His life just got good. His life just became-

“With treatment at stage 3, six to eleven months is the most likely amount of time we can give you, but there’s always outliers and the chance of up to five years. It does happen. We can…”

Boss isn’t listening. Mek isn’t moving. Frozen. Lost. Unable to-

_It’s not enough time._

_It’s not enough time._

_It’s not enough time._

“I know, shh, I know baby.” He hears Mek say it and suddenly there are arms around him, holding him close and trying to shelter him from the worst of the storm. But there’s only so much he can do. Only so much anyone can do.

“It’s not enough time.”

He didn’t even realize he was speaking out loud.

-

He’s not sure when exactly it happened, but suddenly all his friends are there in varying degrees of unhappiness, pain, and discomfort. They crowd around him and Boss smiles. He says jokingly, “Cheer up, guys, what, did someone die?”

No one finds that funny, except for Boss who laughs regardless.

“Don’t joke like that.” Bohn says quickly, hand on Boss’s arm now.

“Is your mom on her way?” Tee asks, trying to find something to talk about in the empty silence of the room.

Beside him, Mek squeezes his hand in comfort. The phone call with his mom… It wasn’t great.

“Yeah, she is, but I can’t wait for her.” He tries to smile again, for Mek’s benefit if no one else’s.

“What do you mean?” King questions.

Boss loses his smile then, unsure how to answer. Thankfully Mek does with, “We can’t wait any longer.”

Boss’s eyes turn to him and he smiles, softly, lovingly. He’ll never get tired of looking at Mek. At how handsome he is, how kind, and how he’s right there with him inside. Always. What will happen to this thing that keeps them bound together? Will Mek still feel him? Will Boss? Where will he go?

He tries to stem the thoughts. He can’t cry, not with everyone here. He can’t, but he finds that he has little choice in the matter. The tears come, and so does the arms of his friends. Suddenly they’re all around him, bringing him close, and bringing each other close to. They form a barrier of friendship, love, and heartache. The grief is unsaid but felt by all, the warmth of each other keeping them all still standing.

A voice coughs, clearing their throat and the hug. “I’m sorry,” The nurses says apologetically, “But I have to prepare Boss for surgery.”

-

Mek kisses him deeply. Hand in his, another in his hair, stroking gently. Down to cup his jaw as eyes lock onto his. “I love you.”

Boss smiles. “I love you more.” Then, looking to the other grim faces of his friends, “Come on, cheer up, I’ll see you all soon and we’ll go get ice cream.”

They all smile, small, but smile they do.

Mek kisses him one last time on his cheek, and then backs away reluctantly. The nurses and doctors come in, pulling the bed away through the large double doors that Mek can’t follow him through. He never thought there’d be a time or a place where he wouldn’t, or couldn’t follow the other. But now, he’s found there’s two places. One is a hospital room, and one is… Beyond that. Beyond anything.

It’s only when the large doors shit firmly behind him the retreating form of Boss, does Mek let the tears come. His hands covering his face, he lets them fall. His shoulder shaking, and his body close to falling, but he doesn’t fall. His friends are there, much like they did with Boss, encircling him and keeping him standing up. Warming him with their love and friendship, of family, as they all share in the pain and grief that comes. 


End file.
